FEEA Board member Colleen Kelley, President of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) was recently interviewed by The Washington Post.  You can read about her take on many important issues facing feds in an article published today.

The Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund (FEEA) is pleased to announce applications for its 2013-14 scholarship program are now available for download on FEEA's website.

FEEA distributes nearly half a million dollars each year via awards ranging from $500 - $2,500, with an average award of $1000.  Up to seven students also receive additional awards worth $5,000 each via the FEEA-NTEU program.  More than 400 students received scholarships last year, including 32 civilian federal employees pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees.  Lists of the 2012-13 winners may be viewed by region or agency; short profiles of many winners are also available.

Eligible applicants are civilian federal and postal employees with at least three years of service, and their dependents.  Dependent applicants (spouse or child) must be full-time students in an accredited degree program and must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.  Employee applicants must meet the same academic criteria, however they may be part-time students.  Additional qualifications are discussed in the Scholarships section of FEEA's website.

FEEA also administers scholarship programs for more than a dozen membership organizations, including several employee unions and management associations.  Most offer entry to both an organization-sponsored contest and the general FEEA competition with a single application.  More information and special applications are available online.

Superstorm Sandy caused extensive damage up and down the East Coast, wreaking havoc for many federal employees.  FEEA announced immediately that disaster grants of up to $500 are available to employees in hard-hit areas, and now the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) is also stepping up to help its members.  NTEU has pledged to match the first $25,000 in donations made to FEEA's NTEU Fund, which will be used to assist employees at the 31 NTEU-represented agencies and departments. 

NTEU President Colleen Kelley explained the decision this way: “There are tens of thousands of federal employees in the densely-populated areas that bore the brunt of Sandy and they need help. I am glad that NTEU has a way to provide that help while encouraging others to support their federal colleagues in a time of need.”

To earn the dollar-for-dollar match, members can donate via credit card on FEEA’s web site at www.feea.org/Give by selecting "NTEU Fund" from the drop-down list of funds.  Donations via check made out to “FEEA-NTEU Fund” will be credited for the match as well and may be sent to:  FEEA Headquarters, 3333 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Suite 300, Lakewood, CO 80227.

Employees in need of help can download a disaster relief application at www.feea.org/Disaster or call FEEA at 1-800-323-4140 for more information.  Phone lines may be very busy due to widespread damage and the sheer number of federal employees likely to be affected by the storm.  Callers are asked to be patient and leave a message if prompted to do so.  FEEA will have to prioritize assistance to those with the most serious damage and hardships until additional donations are received.